Mr. Miles was my fifth grade teacher. He was a tall slim man with long fingers and hair like the brunette Ken doll. He was also one of my all time favorite teachers, probably because he was not boring even when you already understood the lesson, he explained things clearly when you didn't understand, and he had a sense of humor.
If I remember correctly, the noise I made on the day I learned to spell unnecessary was a snort. Yes, the snort of a pig.
Mr. Miles heard the snort. His response: write one hundred times, "I will not make unnecessary noises in class".
Lesson learned. Truly, I stopped making unnecessary noises in Mr. Miles' class. Alas, twenty years later, old enough to know better, I sat in a tiny cubicle making unnecessary noises. This time it was Guinea Pig squeals. You might say I expanded my repertoire. My boss didn't have a sense of humor but his boss did. (It seems my boss's boss found my Barney imitations amusing too.) My boss was not amused and let me know in so many ways both direct and indirect.
As I graduated from the fifth grade, eventually, I graduated from the cubicle. (Something for which I thank God everyday.) Now, back to unnecessary noises. This little tale ends happily in one of the happiest rooms in my house: the aviary (also known as the dining room).
You guessed it. Bird calls. And I am once again expanding my repertoire, thanks to two exciting newcomers.
Stay tuned for news about the Java Finches!
Ah, birds brightening up the house!
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